Summary of State of Denial

Bob Woodward

Looking for the book?
We have the summary! Get the key insights in just 10 minutes.

Rating

9 Overall

8 Importance

8 Innovation

9 Style

Recommendation

This exceptional book reveals the Bush Administration’s war in Iraq through the exacting eyes of noted journalist Bob Woodward. The third volume in his "Bush at War" series, it unfolds as a vivid history, a detailed, a step-by-step progression of events, personalities and motives. Woodward lets the insiders and their stories speak for themselves as he describes how both powerful and everyday people succumb to large public mistakes, and how those shape history. He has written this book as a series of short vignettes - and as the scenes unfold, so do the personalities and their individual quirks. Readers see why some plans succeeded and others failed. Those who seek sinister people with ulterior motives will be disappointed. The story did not develop that way. These seem to be well-meaning people who lost touch and failed. getAbstract considers this essential reading for anyone who seriously wants to understand the Iraq war and the people fighting it.

In this summary, you will learn

What factors and personalities shaped the war in Iraq;
How key decisions helped make the country ungovernable; and
How interagency conflicts affected the overall war effort.

About the Author

Bob Woodward is an assistant managing editor of The Washington Post, and has been a newspaper reporter and editor for 35 years. He has authored or co-authored 10 national nonfiction bestsellers.

Summary

Missed Opportunities
The complicated decision to invade Iraq was influenced by many past and present events, personalities and motivations. After al Qaeda’s September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center, U.S. President George W. Bush wanted to focus on Afghanistan to catch Osama...